The Loudspeaker System Showcase will run twice daily, Thursday – Saturday, featuring a music track as selected by a popular vote of participating companies and hosted by a neutral industry expert. NAMM Show attendees can also engage with the companies in their respected spaces in the Showcase to trial portable systems.

The new HDL-28A compact line array will be the featured flown system, along with the EVOX JMIX8 and J8 being demonstrated in the portable system category.

RCF is presenting several new products at The NAMM Show 2019. The HDL 26-A and HDL 28-A compact line array modules, three flyable complementary subwoofers HDL 35-AS, HDL 36-AS, and HDL 38-AS add to the powerful HDL family. RDNet, RCF’s onboard proprietary network control and monitoring system, is featured on all these exciting new products.

The tour-ready D-Line, HD 15-A, and HD 35-A, are the latest additions in the 15” powered speaker family, with an innovative design and top-of-the-line performance. The ultra-high powered HDM 45-A is sure to be a crowd pleaser with a 2000 Watts amplifier and RDNet control.

The RCF TT+ line is poised to build on the no-compromise Touring & Theatre philosophy. Expanding on the TTL 6-A column array system, RCF developed a new concept of flexible arrayable speakers, the TT 4-ASeries. Variable waveguides: 100° x 25°,50° and 60° dispersion, an innovative rigging concept, RDNet, rotatable enclosure, and swappable components, the TT 4-A will soon be known as the “MacGyver Solution” of the RCF line.

RDNet Networked Management System sees great improvement with the release of version 3.1. Real-time Air Compensation and the new Bass Shaper function will help the system engineer with tuning and correcting low frequencies while maintaining the wanted tonal balance on the entire system. Shape Designer two-dimensional system design software is also now included within RDNet.

The RCF NAMM booth is the launch pad of the compact M 20X Digital Mixing Console, featuring motorized faders, multitrack recording, remote WiFi control, multimode PEQ, and many other technologies evolved directly from the acclaimed M 18 mixing platform. The RCF family of mixing consoles introduces F Series Mixers, comprising of four consoles from six to 16 channels, offering multi-FX, Single Control Compressors, and USB Recording capabilities. AYRA PRO Studio Monitors defines a new horizon in reference monitoring, featuring an outstanding 0° linear phase response for the first time in its class.

The Eastern States Exposition, known as “The Big E,” set another attendance record this year with over 1.5-million visitors. It’s the only event in the country with a state fair-like structure in the nation where more than one state participates (six New England states partake). The 17 day event features daily Mardi Gras parades, a big top circus spectacular, 4-H and agriculture exposition, giant midway, car shows and daily entertainment on five stages.

All-in-all, the Big E schedule included over 200 shows on those stages. Massachusetts-based SCL Sound Systems has been providing production at The Big E for almost two decades. This year, owner and Production Manager Scott LaRochelle made the decision to use RCF powered speakers across all of the fair’s major stages. To accomplish this task, LaRochelle reached out to AudionX, a Vermont-based company and RCF partner who maintains a large inventory of cabinets.

“There is a variety of music on the stages,” said LaRochelle. “We can go from a classic rock act to hip-hop to pop in a matter of hours. I wanted to deploy rigs that sounded good and would handle the demands of the acts. I also wanted to get some time with the large format HDL50 rig,” And upon doing so, “All I can say is it was impressive. This was a good choice and certainly something the touring engineers were happy with.”

“Anytime you have a large event and a seasoned company like SCL trying something new, you always want to do everything you can to make sure things go right,” said AudionX owner Chris LaRocque. “RCF has always been a great partner and as usual their support team was available to us. They even brought in their worldwide support specialist Oscar Mora to assist us.”

More than 200 distributors and dealers from 120 countries joined the RCF ground-breaking Open Days 2018. Four days full of professional updates, new products showcase with Product Managers and Indoor/Outdoor product demos, to test and understand RCF’s extensive catalog. Above all, the event focused on many upcoming products, the growing HDL System, the passive short-throw E MAX, and the new mixing consoles.

Introduced one year ago to wide appreciation, the RCF FiRPHASE algorithm is ubiquitous among RCF active speakers. In addition to the smooth 0° phase response, FiRPHASE harmonizes the RCF signature sound among the RCF catalog and simplifies the match between speakers, allowing a coherent sum on all frequencies without any loss of quality. Line arrays such as HDL 50-A, HDL 30-A, and the new HDL 28-A are thoroughly compatible, so there is no more need for all-pass filters or other intricate tweaks; the system can now be deployed and tuned faster than ever. The new HD 15” series of HD 15-A, HD-35, and HDM 45-A point source speakers, with a modern and sleek full-grille design, and the new TT 08-A II, TT 10-A and TT 20 CXA TT+ range speakers are FiRPHASE compatible as well.

The general timbre of the system can then be adapted to the sound engineer’s taste thanks to the RDNet networked monitoring and version 3.1 management software, launched during the Open Days and soon available. The internal High Pass Filter on each RDNet-equipped cabinet’s DSP can now be modified, allowing better phase/frequency precision, while the new Bass Shaper algorithms let the system engineer achieve the favorite timbre on low frequencies, maintaining the desired tonal balance.

Showcased and promoted as a reliable and good-sounding mixer, the F series mixing consoles suits a wide range of applications. The advanced DSP technology and thoughtful design, inspired by the E Series professional mixing consoles, features a fully balanced analog path and amazing routing capabilities. Introduced first in the M18 digital mixing console and now available in the E series analog mixers, the Z.CORE DSP is now broadly acknowledged among sound engineers as one of the most effective DSPs for both analog and digital mixers. This technology inspires the FX section of the F Series and will be the solid ground for new exciting developments in RCF digital products.

RCF’s legendary hospitality was highly appreciated, thanks to the comfortable new premises and the availability and professionalism of the product managers, product specialists and the combined effort of RCF USA, RCF Germany, RCF France, RCF Austria, RCF Benelux, RCF UK, and RCF Spain international offices. The success of the Open Day 2018 couldn’t have happened without the solid relationship of RCF’s partners all over the world, and that deserves a big thanks from the entire RCF team.

Lille-Lesquin (France) - Place des Oliviers is a place both authentic and modern. It is an ideal place to spend a moment of relaxation, offering a culinary experience, with exquisite French flavours of the south and a lounge area to enjoy tapas and appetizer boards. There is also access to a bowling alley to practice petanque with nine tracks—the summer-sport par excellence.

The chosen speaker series - RCF MEDIA - are the optimal sound for distributed acoustic coverage both for ambient music and party events. Controlled by an RCF DX1616 digital matrix and installed by Sonodistrib of Lesquin, the sound system develops into multiple areas with separated controls and practical mute functions easily managed from the ad-hoc map interface on the iOS control App.

A total of 32 RCF speakers have been installed, both outdoors and indoors, with six M801 plus 16 M601 for the internal spaces, and four S5012 subs. Six additional weatherproof MQ80P speakers service the petanque lawn—outside on the top of building roof! The entire system is powered by 11 RCF IPS 700 /1700 amplifiers and managed by a DX1616 matrix.

Aurelien Senaffe of Sonodistrib designed a dedicated interface with volume, zoning and mutes on iPad, to manage and gain secure control of the DX1616 via WiFi.

When Tom Chennells merged his previous company Wavelength Entertainments into Yes Events back in 2011, he brought with him a clutch of RCF 905AS and ART 722AS loudspeakers. But he could little have realised that seven years later he would be operating three divisions from a 13,000 sq. ft purpose industrial unit, housing £2m of sound, lighting, staging, rigging, video and power equipment — including more than 200 loudspeakers from RCF (his sole speaker supplier).

Yes’s recent addition of 24x HDL 6-A composite line array enclosures is the latest stage on a journey that took them from those early ART boxes to TT+ (TT25-A, TTS-28-A, TT 08-A lightweight monitors), and into the new technology of the Bluetooth enabled EVOX JMIX8.

With the company now split into three sections — Yes Events, Yes Production and Yes Hire — Chennells realises the value of having access to a product catalogue that covers all bases, and meets all budget requirements.

With a background in high-end DJ work he also sensed the value of being able to offer a turnkey infrastructure, while his love for RCF had blossomed during those earlier days when he was running pole-mounted ART series speakers with his roadshow.

Once he had merged Wavelength with Nick Ratcliffe’s Yes Events he was soon buying bigger TT+ systems, such as the TTL33-A, and today points to client requirements for more sophisticated production as the reason for his 20-30% growth in turnover during the past three years to a multimillion pound annual operation.

Why such a large RCF inventory? “You start by purchasing a few pieces of a certain product, and when you see such great results it’s an easy decision to keep adding further stock. Every box has a purpose — from the simpler standalone point and shoot boxes such as HD10-A, HD12-A and the very cost effective ART3 and EVOX ranges which make a great choice for wedding and rental customers.

“The rental stock extends through to a large amount of the premium industry leading TT+ and HDL. We should give special mention to the little TT052-A. It is so discreet that it is easy to hide away on corporate events at places such as The Shard and equally at home as lip fill in large shows.”

In the corporate world Yes Events has had the privilege to work with many A-list acts, Elton John, Beverley Knight, Duran Duran, Tony Hadley to name a few, along with corporate giants such as Disney, while they have provided PA for many sporting events right across outdoor venues and arenas the UK.

Aside from budget considerations, and RCF’s legendary matched componentry of their active systems, what other compelling reasons are there? “Simple,” says Tom. “You don’t need to do much to the systems on set up. 99% of the time you just plug in, stand back and it sounds great.

With limited set-up times at some shows this is a massive attribute. There is also a good rental network of RCF users now and great support from RCF UK … it’s a nice relationship.” Anyone who attended the recent RCF Open Day at G-Live in Guildford will have noted how Tom Chennells evangelised the HDL6-A (hence Yes’s recent investment). “The cost and weight are amazing for what it can deliver and it’s a great way to get people into a focused sound system with so much control over directivity. At G-Live we put up eight [elements] with a flybar per side; this system comfortably throws 50 metres and yet it weighs less than 100kg a side, which is amazing.”

RCF will highlight a vast range of new products at this year’s BITAM Show. The new RCF product line features innovative solutions, design upgrades and exciting new advances in audio technology. Following the HDL 30-A philosophy, RCF officially launches the two-way bi-amped line array HDL 28-A, featuring RCF’s proprietary RDNet Networked Management in a lightweight cabinet featuring high accuracy on voice intelligibility and the ubiquitous FiRPHASE.

Widely appreciated, and globally used as the primary portable system for on-the-go musicians and DJs, the EVOX speaker series showcase its new twin brothers, EVOX J8 and EVOX JMIX8. Built on the high-quality analog path found in the RCF professional E series, the new F Series mixing consoles comprises four fully-featured mixers from six to 16 channels, offering multi-FX, Single Control Compressors, and Recording capabilities.

The RCF booth will further exhibit the new range of touring TT+ speakers such as the TT 10-A, TT 08-A II, the double 8” low-profile wedge monitor TT 20-CXA and the innovative TTP/TTL 4-A. Because of the innovative rigging concept and a rotatable/swappable waveguide, the TTP/TTL 4-A is a brand new speaker concept worth a visit.

The RDNet Networked Management sees improvements with the 3.2 release, such as real-time air compensation, the inclusion of the Shape Designer, the RCF two-dimensional simulation software and the new Bass Shaper function, to achieve the desired timbre on low frequencies and maintain the desired tonal balance across the entire system.

Following a complete interior restoration of its Italian tour bus, which included a significant audio update to include RCF’s small but mighty RCF HDL 6-A, Red Bull Music toured the Italian peninsula with the travelling festival, LIVE IT.

The tourbus, a ‘60s FIAT 309, became temporary home, rehearsal room and stage for theartists in the contest, on a tour that delivered 24-full days of music to a total 112,000 visitors. They were joined by 25 technicians, seven sound engineers and a tour bus manager; as well as a further 35 tour bus artists and a total of 156 artists hosted in festivals.

Transforming speedily, the roof of the tour bus is a stage within minutes. Its side trusses quickly in place, rigged with lighting and the RCF line arrays. Ten HDL 6-A line array modules supported by four SUB 8004-AS units form an array more than five metres high, to cover large areas.

Daniele Giraldi, sound engineer and owner of SPS Audio used the system during L’Umbria che Spacca, a festival which he says is "already using similar systems with SPS Audio. We did not have the slightest doubt in using the HDL 6-A."

He states, "The HDL 6-A is a versatile system that combines lightweight components with excellent SPL performance. The SUBs are powerful and round, the system reacts well to the mixer headroom and has a clear and powerful tone.” Michael Gario, a freelance sound engineer on the Red Bull Music Tour Bus as FOH Engineer during the Reload Sound Festival, commented, “I was amazed by the RCF sound system as soon as I heard it on the Red Bull tour bus. Despite its small size, it immediately proved itself with the muscles of a much larger audio system. You can hear a pleasant freshness of the high frequencies without ever being annoying to the ear; perfectly balanced mid frequencies and extremely "punchy" low frequencies, without ever becoming ‘squashy’. A pleasure for the ears!"

May Day has traditionally been an occasion to celebrate at prodigious length, but this year, BRINGS, the Cologne-based rock combo headed up by fraternal duo Peter and Stephan Brings, hopped the festivities up to a whole new level with their May Polka Party.

They staged an intimate get-together with 13,000 fans and celebrity cameos, rocking Cologne's Lanxess Arena in a four-hour plus marathon show on May 1st. And for all those hard-core revelers that hate to go home, there was a three-hour after-show party.

The crew deployed 36 of the new active RCF line array HDL 30-A (2x10", 1.4") top units in four clusters as side-fills and to cover bleacher seating. This was the first time they were deployed in conjunction with 16 active 18" VIO S118 subwoofers from RCF Groups's brand dBTechnologies in a flown cardioid configuration. Another 18 dual-6" HDL 6-A" line array modules provided near-fill support.

When Montana Pro Audio was called on to replace a 15-year-old sound system at the Beaverhead County Fair Rodeo Arena, they faced a scenario that limited their installation options leaving them to search and source the right product to both provide the coverage they needed and endure the outdoor elements of the rodeo arena. “The only placement options for the bleacher seats were light poles which are irregularly spaced with respect to the bleachers,” notes Montana Pro Audio Integration Manager Ryan Johnston. Plus, “the existing speaker wire to the far side of the arena was buried and would have to be reused for the updated system,” leaving them with pre-specified speaker positions. With that in mind, “We needed to select a loudspeaker system that would withstand the weather with fairly high output and low power ratings. We also needed a series that had different horn patterns that we could deploy based on throw distance, as due to the bleacher/pole layout we had to vary between shorter and medium distance throws.” Johnston continues, “We were also looking for a bracket mount option to simplify rigging and supply a stable mount for the speakers. “Plus the far side speakers would have to be powered with a 70-volt amplifier and stepped back down using an autoformer at the speaker end to maximize the amount of power we could send over the long, smaller gauge wire runs from the existing infrastructure.”

Serving an international fellowship of Christian students, the University of the Nations was born out of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), a highly decentralized international movement of Christians from many denominations. Their history dates back to 1978 when Pacific & Asia Christian University in Kona, Hawaii was founded. As their teachings spread to other campuses throughout the world, now with over 600 locations in 160 different nations, they have since adopted the new moniker University of the Nations. The 40-acre Kona campus is home to some 700 students offering Associate Degrees ranging from the arts to counseling and early childhood education to biblical studies. The campus is also home to the Aloha Lanai Cafeteria, Hawaii’s largest dining facility with a capacity of 3500. Nearly a decade ago Orlando, Florida-based Owens Audio Video Design was called on to implement a new system for their Ohana Court, an outdoor Worship area & basketball Court Being an open-air facility, that system was exposed to nature’s elements and getting tired. Over the years, and with advancements in loudspeaker technology, with the long-time relationship the university has with the integrator, they called upon Owens once again to refurbish the facility, this time specifically requesting a line array solution.